Page 23 of Tracking the Alpha (Project Therianthrope #1)

Chapter Fifteen

Barrett found himself in a foul mood that began with his abrupt awakening.

While rousing spooned against Tanis had been nice—and titillating—the fact he’d been passed out so hard—and vulnerable—angered.

Instead of scouting the facility under the cover of darkness, he’d slept.

Slept so soundly it took someone coming into the room to rouse him.

He’d spent a tense moment under the covers, ready to act had the soldier posed a threat.

However, the guy who’d barged in saw nothing amiss.

Why would he? Naked man in a woman’s bed and a uniform on the floor?

The assumption seemed obvious, unless you were a guy who’d recently been a wolf, who would have smelled the intruder immediately.

Good thing Davidson kept his special soldiers locked up instead of out and about, or Barrett would have never made it this far.

Once Tanis left for her meeting with the major, Barrett wasted no time.

He dressed quickly and waited until he could be sure no one lingered outside the door of her cramped room.

Upon exiting, he heard the murmur of voices along with the splashing of water coming from the lavatory.

While the soldiers were busy, he slipped into another room and quickly scanned the space.

Sloppily made bed. Closed chest at the foot of it. A hook with a cap.

Exactly what he’d hoped to find. Barrett grabbed the hat and jammed it onto his head, tugging the brim low before quickly exiting not only the room but the makeshift barracks.

He stalked out into a somewhat gloomy day, which suited his mood.

He scanned the area before sidling around the barn-like building to the rear.

He hugged the wall, unsure of camera placements.

To his surprise, none appeared pointed inward.

Of those he perceived, one was on an empty platform that should have held a sentry and two others were attached to poles that extended from the wall, all looking at the forest.

Well, hell, that was a stroke of luck. Then again, the general probably didn’t want anyone monitoring to know what went on inside the walls, not even his own troops.

Why else drug them at night? Would their lack of knowledge save them?

AKA, would their posting here only be temporary?

Knowing the ruthlessness of the general, Barrett highly doubted it.

More likely the soldiers brought here to serve under the general and major were considered expendable.

Like me and my section.

It still rankled.

No time to fume over a grudge, though. Barrett needed to scout as much as he could without being caught. He understood that he had only limited time to act. Eventually someone would notice his presence and the fact he didn’t belong.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much he could do outside the main building.

The area around had been sectioned into a few courtyards, and he didn’t need to enter the closed areas to sniff they were empty—and washed clean with heavy cleanser, erasing scent and whatever fluids might have been spilled, like blood.

Did the general cover his tracks in case of discovery and an investigation, or was there worry about biological contamination?

After all, in the movies, werewolves could pass on their curse.

A chilling thing to think of considering what happened between him and Tanis. At least he’d not bitten her.

But I did spill my seed.

Fuck. He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to worry about him possibly infecting Tanis.

Back to his task of getting inside. He spent some time doing a circuit around the compound, scenting, looking, observing, seeking out weak spots or points of ingress.

It took hours before he admitted to being stumped.

The principal building had windows, with bars over them.

Two doors, both requiring facial recognition to enter.

The barracks, set on a solid concrete slab, didn’t have any access to the basement levels he needed.

The only other structure he could explore, that didn’t require a key or an approved face to bypass security, was a four-bay garage that appeared attached to the main structure.

It proved entirely too easy to enter, one of the roller doors open, showing off the vehicles inside.

Barrett happened to be poking around said garage when Tanis departed with a soldier and a female wolf whose scent he didn’t recognize.

Most likely an experiment like him. Sent to be bait, or so he assumed from what he overheard.

Barrett wanted to race after them, not liking the fact Tanis would be left alone with a possibly rabid beast. However, his rational side reminded that he’d never make it out the gate without being noticed by the cameras or the sentry. He had to trust the huntress could handle herself.

As he studied the tools left behind on a workbench—wondering if any of them would be of any use breaking through the steel door going into the main building—he heard the click as the door in question unlocked.

Someone was coming. Rather than bolt outside, he quickly rolled under a partially jacked vehicle missing a tire.

Two people entered the garage. He recognized the scent of only one. Major Stevens.

“I’ll radio you once I’m on the way back with our missing patient so be sure his cell is ready,” the major ordered. “I’ll make sure the sentry is sent off duty before we arrive.”

“I don’t see why you’re still so intent on trying to keep them in the dark,” the other guy answered. “They are aware by now that we’ve got some weird shit going on.”

“The less they know, the better.”

“And the more work for me and the others,” grumbled the male.

“Enough of the whining. Just do as you’re told,” snapped Stevens. “With luck, I’ll be back shortly.”

Footsteps receded as the major left. However, the other person stayed and muttered a low, “Prick.”

Click , puff . Cigarette smoke drifted as the guy stood around having a drag.

Barrett dared to sneak a peek and saw a fellow in sneakers and jeans, wearing an unbuttoned white coat scrolling his phone. He leaned against the workbench, huffing away, casual as you could please.

Fucker. Barrett recognized him as the dick who usually administered the IV of poison. Revenge would taste sweet. Not literally because, hello, human again, not wolf, but he’d enjoy the feel of his neck cracking when he broke it.

Unless…

The idea hit suddenly. Barrett’s face couldn’t get him inside, but this fucker had access.

With a stealthiness that now came naturally to Barrett, he approached the guy, who never heard him coming.

One second the fucker ogled a porn video, sucking his cancer stick, and the next, Barrett nabbed him in a headlock.

“Hello, remember me?” Barrett purred in the fucker’s ear.

“Oh shit.” The instantaneous tang of fear proved gratifying.

“You should be worried because I am still pissed at what you did, but I can also be a reasonable man, so here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to get me inside that building and take me to my people.”

“To do what?” the fucker blurted.

“Release them, dumbass,” Barrett snapped.

“If I help you, I’m dead.”

“If you don’t, I’ll kill you. Think of it this way, though.

With me, you have a chance to make it out alive because I’m gonna make sure the general and major are too busy to worry about where one of their lackeys has gotten to.

Or I can snap your neck now and wait for the next fucker who comes out that door. ”

“Won’t be anyone else for hours. Medical team is off-duty and the soldiers don’t have access.”

“Then guess I’ll have to hope the facial recognition software doesn’t care if I’m holding your severed head.”

“You should have escaped when you had the chance,” muttered the fucker.

“That’s what a coward would do. Some of us have morals,” Barrett hissed. “So what’s it going to be? You gonna unlock that door, or am I going to get revenge for what you did to me?”

The guy shuffled to the scanner and held his face in front until it beeped and the door unlocked.

“See how easy that was,” Barrett crooned, staying close behind as they entered the main building.

“How did you change back?” the fucker asked as the door sealed shut, leaving them in some kind of storage area with boxes stacked neatly against the walls. The next portal didn’t seem to have a lock.

“Arrow to the chest,” Barrett replied as he scanned the space for a camera. Nothing. Good. It wouldn’t do to set off alarms too early.

“Extreme trauma seems to be the trigger with the subjects who’ve melded properly,” the guy murmured.

“What’s that mean, melded properly?”

“The protocol, or should I say serum, doesn’t work on everyone the same. Some, like you, can flip between man and beast with a bit of help, while others somehow lose everything that made them human and end up stuck in their animal shape.”

“Like the coyote,” Barrett murmured.

“You saw it?” He sounded surprised.

“I killed it. I take it escaped by accident?”

“Yeah. The general assumed Patient 33 was a dud. He’d tried forcing the shift a few times before to no result. He decided to give it one last shot. It seemed like it hadn’t worked, and rather than patch her up, he ordered a soldier to dispose of her.”

“Only it did work. She changed and fled into the woods,” Barrett summarized. As to why she’d been intent on attacking Tanis? Did rabid animals need a reason to kill?

“General was super pissed.”

“I’ll bet he was,” Barrett’s less-than-caring reply. He eyed the fellow who had decided to cooperate. “What’s your name?”

“Wendell.”